Samskeyti
by MessengerOfDreams
Summary: It was not until a freak incident that caused two women who longed after each other to switch bodies that those two women realized that the other was real and tangible and obtainable and maybe, just maybe, could be theirs. F F Samus x Zelda. Bronze Medalist of LLB and GSG's Body-Switching Contest. Neato.
1. Your Head In Mine

**A/N I wasn't planning on entering at first, but I figured if everyone else was going to, I had no reason not to try (to beat everyone else into the dirt.) I'm just going to do a short comparison piece for two different characters if they had switched bodies. For the first time in my works, there will be some slash, or whatever you call a two-female pairing (yuri, whatever, I don't really care for a branding just because there are two women). It's not going to be like a revolutionary event or a smutfest; two people romantically involved are two people romantically involved. **

**But what do I know?**

**Edit: I actually redid some of this chapter and added more onto it. If you read this before, some things may be a bit different. Thanks for (re)reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, regret nothing and let them forget nothing.**

**Chapter 1: Your Head In Mine**

The first thing Samus was aware of when she woke up was that she was in a dress of some sort. Immediately she went on high alert, because whatever deity was running things if one should so exist knew that this particular woman would not be caught dead in anything without two pant legs. Considering that she wasn't any sort of deist, she was certainly on her own.

As she leapt onto her feet she felt nearly naked not being in at least a pair of sweats. Despite being perfectly decent, she covered herself with a blanket, but slowly let it drop when she realized what exactly was amiss- seeing as she didn't own a dress... then whose was it? With the blanket out of the way, Samus observed the dress. She noticed the dress was a familiar royal purple, with intricate patterns and designs along it. One of those markings she recognized as the Hylian Triforce.

Uncharacteristically, she gulped. Did she even want to confirm how she got here?

Reluctantly, she decided she did. She looked around the room, noticing that it was most certainly not her own. Damn it... had she done what she thought she had? She could feel a heat cross her face instantly as she searched around aimlessly for a mirror.

She found one, a mirror of storybook resemblances (something very faint but unforgettable in her memory); tall, oval and made of fine wood, with a large reflective surface through it. When she saw a shock of brunette hair from the far corner that moved in her direction, she gasped. No longer utilizing a preamble, she all but dashed in front of it.

The first thought that crossed her mind as she stopped to a halt in front of the mirror was that she was incredibly _beautiful. _That was all she could process for a few precious moments; looking over her reflection that portrayed a stunning image. Samus looked into the tired eyes that still held such power, then to the knowing turn of her lip (none too affected by slight wrinkles and sleep effects) and the scattered but still lovely flow of her chestnut hair.

She admired the strength in her form that would betray someone who looked like her, gazed at the faded yet immaculate dress she was wearing that all of a sudden didn't quite matter so much anymore. She loved how it draped over her hips and down her legs, making her look and feel as though she was flying, unattached to the world. Feeling beautiful was one of the rarest feelings Samus had ever experienced, and now that she felt it, she could do nothing but stop in awe.

It took her a minute, at least, to realize that this wasn't her beautiful body; it was a very sleep-worn Princess Zelda's.

She could see her cheeks blush even brighter red than before.

Samus was perplexed at what to do; after all, how could she sculpt a plan to remedy a surprise magical event she had no explanation for? The only person she could name off the cuff who knew how to handle magic was staring back at her in the mirror with those beautiful blue eyes.

The thought seemed to jar her even further to attention. If she was in Zelda's person, but not as Zelda's mind, then where did that put Zelda? Was she dead? Was she trapped in some lost existential dimension? Or was she inside Samus' own body?

Frankly, she couldn't decide which sounded worse.

She stared at Zelda's self in the mirror, trying to figure out a plan; trying not to get distracted at her reflection again. She paid further attention to the nightgown she was in, noting that it was similar to Zelda's usual dress to fool Samus into believing it was the real thing. She never could understand how Zelda could fight so well in such a dress while Samus, a legendary warrior in her own grey-area right, could barely find herself walking comfortably in it.

She wondered if she should change, and immediately dispelled the idea. She couldn't feel comfortable undressing in someone else's body, especially hers. It just seemed… violating. She frowned at Zelda's self, knowing that what _should be happening _in Samus' own mind was to let practicality win the day and with some indeterminable level of reluctance, change into Zelda's usual royal dress and attire.

Samus rolled Zelda's eyes, deciding to call today a lazy day. Thinking swiftly, she couldn't think of anything going on in the tournament's agenda and could only hope that Zelda had none of her own business to attend to.

Searching around the room, she found a pair of slippers and awkwardly maneuvered Zelda's feet into them. Nothing was right when nothing on her body actually belonged to her. Sighing and pinching the bridge of a nose that was _also _not hers to ward off a headache that was _also _not hers, Samus began to walk out of the room, trying to seem as inconspicuous one of the most powerful (and beautiful) women in the universe could possibly look.

She found her way to the commons room, all the while trying to feel like Zelda, which was both as hard and easy as it sounded. Zelda and Samus were hardly two people you could call alike. They were both female, yes, and both shared the gifts of sensibility and common sense (although it escaped Samus right now), but that seemed to be where the similarities ended. Zelda was… something else; Samus could only summarize it as. Colorful, observant, engaged and engaging. She loved many things and many people, while Samus could only think of a small handful of things she cared for.

Sometimes she thought one of those people was the woman whose body she was in at that moment.

Samus was never quite as… something else as Zelda was. She didn't care to involve herself in the world. Whereas Zelda was like a fine wine, Samus was tasteless ether, a transparent window to Zelda's mural, a breath of stale and metallic air and never a breath of life in a fertile meadow.

She felt a tempest of confusion and emotions about literally embodying the woman she admired so much.

There wasn't much she could do but try and embody her. She already felt that unusual feeling of self-consciousness she hated so much, because she was worried that her attempt at being Zelda would be insulting to the real one.

She hoped Zelda's mind was all right.

She looked around to see if she could find one of Zelda's trustworthy friends. She almost prayed for a dash of luck, but remembered she was a woman without a religion. Did Zelda have a religion? She remembered something about three goddesses, so she took a chance and prayed to the first one she could remember the name of; Farou, she hoped. She traced her sights to a nearby familiar symbol; the bold Triforce. It came from a bright metallic shield that even she could recognize without a fragment of doubt.

Thank that one particular lord, it was Link. Samus had to avoid running to him, trying to maintain a sense of calm as she walked towards him, inquiring "Link?" Zelda's voice rang through the air, crystal clear to the point where Samus had to avoid turning around and looking for the princess in question.

Keeping her eyes fixated on the shield, she watched Link turn around and meet the princess in the eyes. Samus tried not to appear nervous, but when the man gave her a warm and welcome grin, she had to clench her fist in order to keep from shuddering at his evident unrequested compassion. It was a feeling that made her feel warm and wanted, but also jealous and empty because Samus knew she did nothing to deserve that grin… and perhaps a bit because she felt off about Link being the one to offer Zelda such a look.

"Princess Zelda," he welcomed her back, his voice already engaged and cordial, to a point that Samus nearly faded into a flashback. When was the last time she had ever received such kindness and warmth? In fact, had Samus ever made evident such a warmth? Was she even capable? "How is your morning going, my friend?"

_Friend. Such an unfamiliar word. _

"It…" she measured her words carefully… "could be going much better, honestly."

He nodded, understanding. "Is everything okay with you?"

Before she could stop herself, she inquired, "with me… how?"

Link's gaze flitted away, almost embarrassed. "I've just been observing, honestly. You've been very… distant. I'm just a bit worried."

Samus didn't doubt that he was being honest; she had learned how to read people; their voices, their eyes and their body language. Perhaps that was why she found her gaze on Zelda so often; she was so easy to read, and yet so frustratingly inconclusive. Even in the mirror, Samus couldn't make out her own thoughts in Zelda's reflection.

"Observing things…" Samus began to ask further, but then realized that she was intruding on Zelda's personal life already as it was. She didn't want to hear the personal reflections of Zelda's best friend about Zelda herself. She had too much respect for her to perform an admittedly unconventional act of eavesdropping on her. She held up a palm in the air and ended the conversation with "Link, stop. I'm not sure how crazy this will sound to you, but… I'm Samus."

Apparently relatively crazy, as Link's eyes showed more surprise in a moment than he had portrayed to Samus in a lifetime.

"I'm… sort of stuck, and I could use some help."

In a flash, Link gathered his senses together. "Oh… okay, Samus." His tone and expression instantly changed to one less familiar, less intrusive, more apprehensive, more of an acquaintance that he was than a friend. Samus found that she missed it; not so much it being from Link than just being received by someone like Samus.

Link cleared his throat. "Don't be alarmed. This happens from time to time." Samus laughed brusquely at the thought of Zelda getting caught in many body-swapping adventures of sorts. If she was behind this, Samus wasn't sure what she'd do.

"No matter, though," Link nodded, smiling politely. "I can help."

Samus forewent all subtlety when she sighed with relief. She wasn't sure how long she could stand being in Zelda without losing her mind, or her lunch out of nerves. Link noticed, taking the courtesy to continue on.

"It's somewhat simple, as it would turn out," he explained. "You see, Zelda is a world class magician; no one is quite like her. A bit of a mad scientist in some ways as well; she has a place around here with walls to walls of…" he drifted off, as if he had said too much. Blushing slightly (which most certainly did not go unnoticed by Samus) he added "Well she doesn't like people knowing about it. The long story short is that somewhere, she has a remedy to an… ailment like this."

"Ailment," Samus repeated mirthlessly. "So that's what they call body-switching nowadays." She sighed, plopping down in a nearby armchair. With a grimace, she added, "Guess we can chalk that one up right next to the common cold?"

Link closed his eyes, lips tightening. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "I suppose I could go and get that vial right now. It takes a little while to work and you'll be knocked cold in a matter of minutes from taking it, but it will work."

"Thank you, _hero_," Samus chuckled, staring at the ceiling. "You'll have made my day if you can get that done for me."

"I should hope," he replied with a look Samus noticed was dangerously close to a smirk. She ignored it. "All we have to do is get Zelda and this will be over before you know it."

Samus' pupils dilated. "We have to… son of a bitch." Not waiting for a response, she leapt out of the armchair, on her feet and radiating anxiety once more, enough for Link to grimace and ask, "what's the problem?"

"Link, do you know where I go every night?" Samus asked. Meaning the question as rhetoric, she interrupted the Hylian and answered herself, whispering to avoid the earshot of those surrounding them. "No, you don't, because no one does. I don't like staying or sleeping here, not around all of these people."

Link bit his lip, holding back a response.

"I stay in my ship," Samus answered, her voice lower than other and her eyes wide open. "My ship is hidden at least a good ten miles away from here."

Link's eyes widened immediately. "Farore help us." _(So that's what her name is, _Samus realized). "So, Zelda's out in this… mystery place… ten miles away."

"Affirmative."

Link ran a hand through his hair, looking just a bit _too _worried for Samus' liking. She furrowed up her eyebrows, trying not to let on that the helpful presence of the Hylian, the one she had _actually incorrectly prayed for_, no less, was fraying the last of her nerves.

"Din only knows what she must be doing right now," Link innocently mused.

She felt the last of her nerves snap, and she muttered a vicious swear under her breath, her cheeks already flushed from embarrassment.

**A/N All better.**

**I'm just keeping along, fueling myself up on Explosions in the Sky, Sigur Ros, the Sigur Ros Pandora station and borrowed time to get this piece cranked out. **

**Chapter 2 will be out as soon as I manage. We're looking at around 4 chapters, I should hope.**

**Wish me luck. **

**~MoD**


	2. Timshel

**This is definitely a work in progress; expect a few edits later on. I also extended the end of the last chapter so if you haven't reread it, you should.  
**

**Thanks  
**

**Chapter 2  
Timshel  
**

The first thing Zelda was aware of as she awoke was that something was certainly not right.

She didn't panic or freak out; nothing good would come out of that. She honestly wasn't really surprised that things already felt off, for a very simple reason. Her knowledge and work with the magical arts could make her life pretty madcap when it so felt the need to.

She didn't bother to roll out of whatever bed she was in, and as her eyes fully realized the light, at least what little there was, she realized she was staring up at a metal roof, one that was dangerously close to her. A lone blanket covered her, a blanket which she removed in one fell swoop.

As she glanced down at her legs, she confirmed that yes, something was certainly not right. Unless she was in dire circumstances, or battling under the magical persona of Sheik in Brawl battles (the only place Sheik could ever be found), she made it a point to never, ever resort to wearing pants alone. She just couldn't stand it; it was if her legs were being seized up from underneath her, a feeling she had been too familiar with for one lifetime. As Sheik she could stand it, but only because being Sheik was the one time she didn't feel like the jagged mess that Princess Zelda of Hyrule could easily fall into.

With that as a _lovely _precursor, she could safely say that she didn't like where this was going.

She looked to the ground below the bed, nearly leaping up as she realized how far up she was. She glanced around for a ladder and found one near her, a thin metal thing slumped against the bunk. Her legs still feeling all but shackled in these mysterious pants, she awkwardly maneuvered her way down to the ground six feet below.

She took a good look at her surroundings, feeling a chill down her spine at just how… alien… this place was. She eventually came to the conclusion as she became aware of the mechanical workings of the room, that she was within some sort of ship. A small ship, but nonetheless a ship.

Dear Din, was she abducted? No, that'd be too simplistic, but thank the goddesses she wasn't going to go through the kidnapped routine again. She still couldn't make any sense of this, even as she tried to focus on all of the different modules and the dashboards and all the other things she was far from familiar with that a spaceship presumably contained. This was something she was only vaguely familiar with, living in a time and world that was a technological era behind much of the universe.

"Hello?" she called out, her breath catching in her throat as she realized that whichever voice this was, it was most certainly not her own. Her heart began to hammer as she got an idea of just what had occurred over the past night.

She called out again. "Hello, hello, hello?" As she heard the foreign voice that belonged to her speak again, she tried to deduce whose it was. A female voice (thank the goddesses), one that was deeper than most, smooth as a stone and portrayed a confidence Zelda wasn't sure she even had right now. She felt goosebumps run through the skin she currently lived in, as she realized that voice, one that had become one of her favorites to hear.

Still unsure, she reached towards her hair, fishing around for a strand of it and pulling it to her view, taking a quick glance of it. It was much longer than Zelda's own and was a nearly fluorescent blond. Zelda knew that in her current particular incarnation, her hair was certainly not blond; it was a tree-bark brown.

It took her only a moment to put the pieces of this woman together and realize that at this moment in time, she was Samus Aran, legendary bounty hunter, and very intriguing and unforgettable woman in her life (whether she knew she was or not.)

Against her better judgment, she laughed. The world of magic had pulled the wool over her eyes once more, in a twist of fate that was unknown to Zelda. She wondered if she should chalk this one up to the goddesses or if there was another catalyst to this change.

She wiped Samus's brow, puzzled as what to do. Sure, if she knew where she was, she could probably solve this body-switching with one of her breweries, but she didn't know where she was. Somehow, she'd have to figure that out.

She glanced around the room wondering how anyone, even someone dark and mysterious like Samus, could bear sleeping in such a cold, unwelcoming and unhomelike place such as this. It just seemed depressing, just as much as the idea was to Zelda; someone as good of a person as Samus being so alone at night, without so much as a dash of true color and warmth to keep her company.

She frowned. Samus Aran deserved much more than she had.

Pacing around uncertainly (and then pulling Samus' pair of pants up to her knee so that her legs could breathe comfortably- how could she stand that condition?) she tried to find her way out of the ship, or at least to another part of it. She found a door, one that was partially propped open, and walked in.

She found herself in the lavatory, an equally uniform and cold place that was just as metallic as the rest of the ship, with a burning fluorescent light in the center. There was a cabinet, a rectangular mirror, a shower and a toilet. Nothing more, nothing less. It was as if Samus had just moved in, such was the scope of the decoration.

Perhaps Samus had an affinity for conditions like this. It still didn't feel right to Zelda. She just couldn't see how Samus could be happy in a place like this, but Samus wasn't a very happy person in general, from what she could tell from a distance. She walked up to the mirror, brushing off any doubts that things were different than she thought; she was in fact embodying the woman she had found herself nearly magnetically attracted to, Samus Aran.

Zelda stared into Samus' eyes. Even here, they seemed sad and as distant as ever. Zelda reached out to the mirror, placing Samus' palm against her reflection and musing on just how painful it was to see Samus like this and feeling hopeless to save it.

She hoped Samus' soul was all right.

She could at least breathe a sigh of relief that she was in Zelda's body at the mansion. With a smile, she thought about how Link would most certainly help her out. Girls rarely found as good of a friend as the one she had found in Link, regardless of how they had met.

Her mind drifted to the remedy for the cure. Part of her hoped Link wouldn't take Samus too deep into her little lair of spells and breweries. It wasn't as though she had too much to hide, but she was a bit self-conscious of her nearly obsessive work in that area. She probably knew way more than she should, and she was just a bit worried that she would come off to Samus as a mad witch.

Zelda laughed again at the pettiness of her own concern.

She sighed, leaning away from the mirror and flinging open one of the cabinets. If the goddesses were truly on Zelda's side, then could they please grant her a skirt, a dress, anything to replace these all-too-tight pants suffocating her legs? She hopefully looked into the cabinet to see what Samus had stashed away as far as clothes were concerned. To her surprise, not much at all. In a heap she found about three t-shirts and next to that a neatly folded stack of (sigh) pants.

Zelda snapped Samus' fingers in disappointment. Curses, Samus needed to expand her wardrobe. She didn't strike Zelda as a woman who cared about how she looked. Zelda looked in the mirror again, shaking her head at the plain granite gray shirt and black jeans. Samus was a very pretty woman and was a great template for many sorts of fashion.

Indeed, she would have to see if she could get Samus into some nicer clothes to complement her nice body.

Again smiling, Zelda decided (reluctantly) to make do with the clothes Samus had on for now. It relieved her that, at the least, she would be able to avoid the prospect of undressing another woman (in a slightly offbeat sense). She turned the water on, splashing it over her face to fully wake her up. It felt very nice, even if the water was bone-chillingly cold.

She turned on her heel out of the bathroom, trying to deduce what to do next. She knew there had to be a door out somewhere, anywhere. She found a couple more with relative ease, although the ship was so much of a technological blur that it was hard to make them out. One of them had an unusual-looking module next to it; the other seemed pretty firmly locked. Curiosity got the best of her and she went to the one with the interesting module next to it.

There was a cap on that module, and she maneuvered it off with surprisingly little trouble. Facing her underneath it was a blue screen, as blue as the sky, with little lines of frequency running through it. Even more curious, Zelda bent down and looked directly into it. As she did, a light protruded out of the screen, scanning over Zelda's eye. She gasped and nearly leaped back but kept a firm stance as it cascaded over her face and disappeared back into the screen.

It was quiet for a moment as Zelda pondered what just happened. The silence was broken by an electronic, robotic female voice announcing, "Samus Aran- Entry Accepted."

_Well, that works_, Zelda thought as the door parted on its own with a sharp creak, leaving the entrance open for her. She quietly wandered in, trying to make sense of this mysterious new room.

It was very small, that much Zelda easily noticed. The fluorescent light shed on a room that looked very much like a storage cabinet. Zelda had to wonder, however, what does one store in a room like this under a... retina scan lock? That would seem like something reserved for something you wouldn't want anyone else to see.

Zelda couldn't bring herself to leave. She knew that she was definitely violating some boundaries here, but she just couldn't walk out like that. She knew something was wrong, and it hurt to think of Samus having something hidden away from anyone else, too much to bear. Too much to let anyone else bear.

Zelda would help bear that for her.

There was only one box in there, and still chastising herself with every movement, Zelda lifted it off of the shelf. It weighed nearly nothing but at the same time had the weight of a world in it. She took a seat between the surrounding shelves and placed the box in her lap, still feeling like a horrible friend but unable to stop herself.

The inside of the box was as empty as the weight told it to be, but that just made everything seem all the more important. Hesitantly, she found a burnt picture in the far right corner and pulled it out.

She could recognize the child in the middle, a five-year-old girl with long blond hair and just a small, subtle smile, and a faint light in her eyes. That was more happiness than Samus had ever portrayed in Zelda's knowledge of the woman. She stood in front of two people, adults with the same amount of emotion in their faces. They looked similar enough to Samus for Zelda to deduce that they were her parents.

Somehow Zelda knew that the fates of those two people were far from good. Samus rarely talked about herself; maybe this was the reason. She looked again into the box, feeling more and more ashamed as she went.

She found a remnant of a stone statue, a small fragment of a base. It was a substance of which she could not quite identify, a dusty tan color. The markings of even the base were intricate, as if it was the pride of an ancient civilization of sorts. She didn't immediately know what it meant but she had a feeling it meant a lot. She could make out a familiar mark- one that was on one of the item weapons during the fights- a sharp S in the midst of a circle.

She frowned, recognizing that as the sign of the Chozo, a civilization that had been destroyed not too long ago. Apparently this civilization had something to do with Samus's history.

She placed the stone back in and picked up the largest object in the box- a helmet that had the number 07 on it.

She didn't want to imagine whom that had belonged to.

She began to place the helmet back in the box when a paper drifted out of it and into the bottom of the box. She frowned, promising herself that she would leave as soon as she read this; no one would ever have to know of her invasion of privacy.

She picked it up and read the contents; they were in a scratchy, unorganized handwriting by someone who didn't seem to write much by hand. Definitely what she imagined Samus's handwriting to be like.

_"Is it right for one who delivers only pain and loss to deserve a return of anything more?_

_Is the cycle of revenge that I spin around the only reliable norm?  
_

_Is this the atonement for my actions, a fate I cannot escape?  
_

_Is the sadness that echoes through me my predestined fate?  
_

_Am I anything more than what I have done, what I have become?  
_

_Am I deser"  
_

There was more there, but it was scrawled out with angry pen marks that obscured any further words. The paper itself was still wrinkled, as though it had been crumpled up and thrown around many times but always retrieved.

Zelda noticed that she had shed a few tears that further damaged the paper.

Zelda fancied herself a wise woman (although not wise enough to refrain from snooping on a person dear to her, apparently). She knew enough to know that Samus' outlook on her own life was far, far wrong. There was such a thing as necessary evil, and to be able to execute such evil was not a sin; in fact, it could be bravery. Samus wasn't an evil person; that much Zelda knew.

She clenched her fist just thinking about how Samus apparently thought she didn't deserve anything better than what she had. How frustrating, how angering it was that Zelda was the one of the two that could recognize just how much of a worthwhile, strong, brave, beautiful person she was. Zelda believed that, just from what she knew from her longing thoughts, her brief but powerful moments of interaction that uncaged butterflies inside her chest. Zelda would do anything to show her just how much she meant to her. She really would. She really wanted to.

That had to mean something, right?

Zelda sighed wearily, wiping Samus' hair back behind her neck. She stood up and gently placed the box back where it was before. She wouldn't try hiding anything from Samus because she had too much respect for her to do so.

And, okay... it worked well enough into what she wanted to tell Samus. Not the brightest or smartest way to start off a confession of romantic feelings (especially if being the same gender turned out to be dealbreaker by itself) but it was the only thing Zelda could think to do.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained? Zelda could only rely on that.

As she left the room, the door shut behind her. Again, she was in the middle of the ship, and the only door remaining was the one that appeared very much so locked. She sighed, figuring that it was her only option. She walked towards it and lightly yanked on the rigid metal bar that blocked the whole surface of it.

It lifted up without a hitch, and the door creaked open.

_Oh._

She blushed as she walked out of the door, not bothering to shut it. She walked down a narrow hallway which gave way to a large ramp. She skidded down it, noticing a door on the end of it with a small case next to it, a gun poking out of the edge of it. She could see a small port-like window on the center of the door with sunlight pouring through it, flooding the one entrant it could find. Thank the goddesses.

She was nearly energetic as she opened that door, grateful for the sunlight poring through Samus's skin. Oh, how glorious it felt. She just took a minute to feel it and be grateful that she was in the world, closing her eyes for a moment. When she felt relieved enough, she opened her eyes.

Her heart thudded as she saw nothing but endless woods surrounding her on all sides.

_Well._

She ducked back in the open door for just a moment and reached for the gun in the case before popping back outside again. Just for safety, she decided, so long as she didn't shoot herself with the thing. Very inexperienced with guns.

With one last sigh and a whimsical smile, she left the spacecraft and started to wander through the forests.

**There we go, a bit more added. Hope you enjoy! :D**


	3. In Motion

**A/N Again, since this is a work in progress, I added more to the end of chapter 2. Do care to reread or read the extended end?  
**

**Two or three more chapters. Wish me luck!**

**Also, the language really picks up in this chapter in particular. The reason this is rated T constitutes around language and thematic elements, so the rating's all good. Just a fair warning, though, there is a derogatory slur used midway through the chapter in a far-from-positive light. If you're offended, I understand. I think that guy was a jack-off too. :P**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3  
In Motion**

**~Link's Perspective (With Samus)~  
**

Link had observed Samus as Zelda pacing around the commons room for a few minutes, trying to figure out how to intervene without upsetting her further. Obviously the situation would not be as simple as they had expected.

Finally, he spoke again. Putting a tentative hand on her shoulder (and hoping the notion of Samus ripping his arm off for that was overdramatized by those who proclaimed it, namely a certain Luigi) he asked her "Is there anything I can do?"

She jolted but thankfully his arm remained attached to his chest. "Link, I just need a moment, okay?"

He released her and asked, "Of course... I just have to ask, what is it that's worried you more than before?"

She blanched, running a hand through Zelda's hair. "...it's more of a personal reason," she admitted, not facing him. "It has something to do with poetry."

"Poetry?" Link's curiosity beat his instinct to respond.

"Don't ask."

He shrugged his response and let another awkward minute pass by before he interjected again. "Sam..." he stopped himself and took a quick look around; best to involve as few people possible. No one was around. Still, he spoke in hushed tones. "Samus, I know that you're having a hard time, but we need to do something."

She scoffed. With easily recognizable sarcasm, she replied, "Well what makes you say that?"

He began to grow frustrated with her. This shouldn't have been so hard to manage. "I say that because you're thinking about how Zelda is in your own ship, apparently the last place you want her. I'm thinking about how Zelda's in your ship, which is probably the last place she wants to be. If I need to be any more clear, you're not the only who's not comfortable with this situation."

Samus turned around to look at him. The hardened, defensive look on Zelda's face didn't suit the true Zelda, causing Link to sigh. Nevertheless, he waited for her to say something, trying not to appear too annoyed. Even if Samus was grating on him, she was having a hard time too, and he had to respect that.

She softened a bit, and Link could tell that for someone only up for a half-hour, she looked dead tired. "Can you get me Peach?" she asked.

Link raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I could take you to see her," he told her, giving a small smile. "You don't suppose she'll be too... concerned about everything?"

Samus laughed, which took some stress off of Link. Thank god, because honestly, Samus really could stress a person out just with her body language and aura. "This is Peach we're talking about," she mused. "Not much of anything can shake the woman anymore."

Link smiled at her words. "All right, we'll find her, but that's going to be the limit of our body-switching management team. Can we agree to that?"

Samus nodded, still smiling. Link took that as a precursor to start heading down the hallway toward Peach's room, making sure the huntress in the princess' body was keeping up. It was nice to be back on track, to fix this situation so that it was as if it never happened.

Okay, not quite as if it never happened. Link hoped some things would change.

Suddenly, Link could feel the pores on his neck chill and the hairs stand up. That never was a good sign of anything. Odds are, that only meant one person.

"Ah, would you take a look at who it is!" He could hear his least favorite voice taunting him already.

"Ganondorf," he informed Samus, who looked over her shoulder to see the despised king of thieves giving them an eager glower and a wicked grin.

She sighed and grabbed his arm, and Link could feel that aura returning to her. "Just keep walking. Don't even turn around." Link sighed and nodded.

Ganondorf only continued to taunt them- goddesses curse his soul, why must his definition of leisure be to destroy their own? Didn't they get enough of him in their own land? "Fleeing again, you little bastard of light? No need to escape my _horrible wrath _this time around? Why don't you and your heartless _witch _of a ruler stay around and make my company?"

Link could feel a set of nails dig into his arm. The anxiety seemed to suffocate the both of them. Link finally gave a response. Exasperated, he sighed "Are you so much of a miserable bastard that you feel any need to bother us? Have you any reason?"

"Oh, you coward," Ganon began to walk towards them with a wide grin on his face. "Just so you know that I can!" Suddenly, he lunged forward, something Link certainly didn't expect until he was face down on the ground, feeling a pain sear through his nose.

"Oh, aren't you just a piece of work," he grumbled as he forced himself up. He barely steadied himself on his feet when he heard a loud crash.

"Sa-" even in his surprise, he was able to stop himself from speaking. He looked around swiftly, worried that Zelda would have been badly hurt. After all, it wasn't like her to engage in violence outside of the field.

He stopped for a split second and grinned. Of course it wasn't like _Zelda._

Link looked just down the hallway to see a sight that, damn the circumstances, would place among his favorite sights of all time. Ganondorf was on his rear against the wall of the hallway, a tall standing lamp slumped over his lap and a look of raw astonishment ringing through his eyes. Zelda (of course Samus, not that Ganon knew) stood over him, seething something terrifying to anyone who wasn't aware of the situation.

He had to all but stab the inside of his palm to keep from breaking out laughing as the princess glared down at Ganondorf and began a tirade that would open up the floodgates of hell.

"You despicable son of a bitch," Samus' words sounded jarring, wonderfully jarring in Zelda's voice, "I have absolutely had it up to here with your complete douchebaggery. And don't- don't even laugh, I'm not kidding!" When Ganondorf laughed in perceived victory, he received a vicious kick to the gut that stopped him short. "I hope you think this is funny, jackass. Because the next time you mess with either Link or me, I will destroy you bit by miserable bastardly bit. By the blessed forces of those goddesses, I will rip your insides out and feed them to you one by one. You will shit out your heart by the time I finish with you if you ever try and hurt us again." Landing one more kick to an area perceptively lower than his gut, she muttered, "I hope we're clear."

Not even bothering to wait for a response, she turned away, back to Link. He was grinning ear to ear as they moved down the hallway, where Ganondorf lay stunned and stagnant. When they were a good distance away, he finally spoke.

"Can I be honest?"

She seemed a bit nervous and was uncharacteristically (for Samus, at least) shaky. "Shoot."

"That was one of the best moments of my entire life."

Surprise. "Really?"

He gave a brief, loud laugh. "Truly. I would imagine several of my previous incarnations would agree with me."

She reluctantly gave a small smile, and for a moment truly seemed like Zelda again. "You don't think I've screwed anything up for Zelda? I really hope I didn't."

He shrugged. "I don't think you did. I mean, let's be honest; she may not seem like the type but for Ganondorf's sake she would happily perform your incredibly colorful threats." He sighed, a perfect split of weariness and wistfulness. "Of course, no mere threat is going to stop Ganondorf. He's too stubborn for that."

"I understand," she nodded. "I'll remember that." When she said that, she turned away from Link's gaze. He understood. Almost inaudible were Samus' next words: "Let's just go see Peach already."

"Sounds good," he nodded.

"Can I go alone?" she followed it up with a request.

He hesitated for a second, worried that things would get out of hand, and then realizing that Samus and Peach were both very intelligent and responsible women and he should stop worrying so much. Zelda was also a very incredible, intelligent and responsible woman, if not prone to curiosity, and he had a feeling that no matter the setting she could situate herself.

Things could slow down just a mite bit.

He nodded and followed just as far to a short hallway that led to an adjacent patio. "I'll wait out here. Find me when you're ready to..." He just stopped and gave a small, reassuring smile.

"All right," she responded, studying the carpet as she continued to walk on without him. Link sighed and walked outside, continuing to send mental messages to the gods, asking them all to make sure that everything worked out the way it should.

**~Zelda's Perspective~**

Damn it all, it was cold outside. Zelda shuddered, somewhere between enjoying the fresh air and just wishing that it was a little warmer than it was. It was just too cold everywhere around there, and it was a bit overwhelming on her. She looked around at the trees, hoping that her plan to work through the woods by solely going through a straight line until she could fine a scene of change wouldn't just get her more lost than before.

The woods were perfectly nice, though, she had to admit. Not exactly Hylian, mind you, but under any other circumstances she would have very much loved to spend some quiet time to think things over in here, around the unassuming wildlife and the shielding trees. It was not to be today, though, so she would have to work out her many thoughts while she walked.

At the very least, she was confident and clear about her feelings. If there was one thing Zelda avoided, it was fooling herself. After all, she was the only complete reliable factor in any situation of her life. Even wonderful Link, loyal as he may be, was not completely predictable nor could he be bended to her wishes. She appreciated that, really; the best part of Link was that he was independent, yet dependable. It was a relationship that worked both ways.

Of course, there was Samus, but she was the most unpredictable factor in her life as it was. Of course, seeing as life didn't come without its share of curveballs, that most unpredictable factor was the factor she wanted the most. Perhaps the cliche that people always fell for the ones they could never have was true. In many ways, it seemed to be so for Zelda. Samus was a woman, which could easily be the immediate dashing of Zelda's hopes right there. It wasn't even that Zelda was specifically seeking out a woman over a man; it was that she was seeking out _that _woman. She wanted that particular woman.

Well, in a sense, she certainly had that woman, but it was just a bit too close for comfort.

Of course, there was the factor that Samus seemed to fear the idea of being close to people. Zelda couldn't blame her, honestly. When one lost so many people close to her already, the idea of losing more was just too plausible to bear. But what was life if you already succumbed to death? Zelda wanted Samus to live to the fullest, and Zelda wanted to help her do that.

Truly, Zelda wanted so much for Samus and to do so much for her as well. The list could go on and on; it was nearly a blind fervor. It was much too easy to have her heart broken right now, but then again, wasn't it easy to lose someone close to you, and yet you kept going?

Zelda completely pushed to the back of her mind the fact that her pitch to Samus involved letting her know she had snooped through a box of her darkest secrets. She could only take so much at a time.

When Zelda snapped out of her own mind, she realized that she had stepped off of the grass and dirt and onto a perfectly paved black road.

That seemed like as good of a start as any.

She crossed the side of the road and decided to wait for a car, hoping one of them knew where to head next. The road was surprisingly quiet for what looked like a dedicated highway, but eventually she saw a newer pickup truck. Grinning, she began to wave it down.

Luckily for her, it stopped. The driver rolled down the window, a driver Zelda recognized to be a twenty-something, well built male. She blushed, not being used to hitch-hiking, and said, "Hello, there."

He gave a small grin. "Well hello there, miss. What seems to be your interest?" At the last part, he raised an eyebrow. She blushed deeper, still not quite prepared.

"As it happens to be," Zelda replied, "I am lost. I'm looking for the Smash Brothers Stadium and Boarding. I'm sure you've heard of it."

The man's eyes shone, almost in recognition, but he didn't act upon it with his words. "Oh yes, of course I have, doll." Zelda tried not to sigh or close her eyes at a word she certainly didn't appreciate.

_Doll. By definition, a lifeless, hollow caricature of a fake, beautiful girl designed just how people want her to be, often to fit the form of a stereotype. Not real, not plausible, just another pretty thing to claim as your own possession. _

As far as Zelda was concerned that was a bad sign. She wasn't going to deny herself any help, though. "Where would that happen to be?"

"Well, about a mile up the road there is a small town by the name of Cadence. Sweet little thing, she is. There's a nice diner and bar around there, should you be looking." The last sentence was too obvious of an inference to keep Zelda from rolling her eyes.

"That's wonderful. Where do I go from there?" she asked briskly.

"Well, there's a highway that goes from there a few miles in to Junction City. The stadium's on the immediate outskirts of downtown. Can't miss it."

Zelda nodded briskly. "Thank you." She turned on her heel, beginning to walk away. She expected (hoped) for the car to leave, but recognized with annoyance that it was keeping speed with her as she walked down the road.

She cringed even before he made his offer. "Hey, why don't you let me give you a ride, sugar? A pretty little thing like you shouldn't have to go down this lonesome road alone?"

_Of course. Millions of people around Junction City and I get this guy. _

Without looking up, she replied "I'm just fine."

He whined. "Aw, come on, I insist! You look like you could use some company."

She sighed, hoping he'd get the hint. He didn't, keeping time with her. This time, she growled. She hated the way this guy was looking at Samus with such unnecessary lust, and she was at about the end of the rope. "Leave," she ordered him.

"Why you gotta be so hard?" he raised his voice. Zelda reached around herself and found the gun in the pants pocket again, softly resting her hand on it. "I mean, what, are you a dyke or something? Can't be around a handsome man like-"

Zelda had enough at last. Insult her; she got annoyed. Insult Samus; she got angry. Insult the both of them; face the consequences.

"Okay,_ that_ is it," she shouted, lifting the gun out of her pocket and aiming it right at the guy, who flinched in surprise. Zelda just smirked, feeling incredibly powerful all of a sudden. She was going to take just a little bit of revenge on that bastard. To Zelda, revenge was like a bowl of ice cream. A delicacy not to be indulged in too often, not too healthy, very cold but so very sweet.

She gave a brusque chuckle, stalking right up to the passenger window. "What?" she gasped comically. "Are you a coward or something? Because if there's anything that interests me less than a man both bullheaded and pighearted, which surprisingly there is, it's a coward that can't deal with rejection. Kindly back off, will you?"

The man, energized by her taunting words, began to unbuckle himself. Zelda rolled her eyes once more, trying not to let him nerve her out as he tried to work his way out of the car. After all, she had the gun. She was pretty sure of which button was the trigger, and she wasn't absolutely certain she was aiming it the right way, but still, it was a gun. Not much of anything could beat that.

Suddenly, a strong force slammed into the back of the pickup truck, pushing it forward slowly but with an obnoxious, jarring grinding sound. The man started to shout in panic, which would have given Zelda cause to grin if she could figure out what was happening. She looked just behind the truck to see a very familiar racecar, one she certainly didn't expect to see out here but was very glad was present.

She could hear his voice out the driver's window, rambling "Alright, Sergeant Dickfear, move it along. Nothing to see here, nothing, and may I add, no one to do. Why don't you find your way back home? Of course if your ride is totaled-" he revved harder, pushing the truck onto the two front wheels with the rest sprawled just so on the hood, "-I suppose you could always hitch a ride."

With one last rev, the driver of the racecar gently pushed the car off of his own, where it landed on its side, mangled enough to make it inoperable. Zelda looked on with a crooked, twisted smile on her face. Sometimes it was nice to be a little mean, at least to people who deserved it.

She heard the door of the racecar open, and could see the driver looking back at her through his helmet. He was grinning cockily, and Zelda would grant that he had reason to be. "Captain Falcon," she greeted warmly, waving.

"Huh?" he replied quietly, but before Zelda could ask he announced "The one and only! What brings you out here, Miss Aran?"

Zelda hesitated, scratching the back of Samus's neck before responding. "It's... a very long, unusual story. Mind if I tell you on the way?"

"Well since you asked so nicely," he replied effortlessly, "hop on in."

Zelda nodded. "Thank you."

"Oh! Well!" Falcon chuckled as he watched presumably Samus get in the car. Zelda could barely hear him mumble a humored "Something is definitely not right." Nevertheless, he pressed a button that immediately snapped on a seatbelt completely around her, securing her waist from all four sides. Zelda jolted.

"Hold on tight, senorita," Falcon advised her.

"Oh Nayru."

Immediately the car boosted forward, going from zero to sixty before Zelda could even read one through fifty-nine on the speedometer. She gave a short shout, gripping the sides of her seat.

"Slow down!" she nearly begged.

"Hey, I'm slowing this baby down as much as I can maintain!" Falcon insisted, and carried on for another brief section before pulling to a stop. He unbuckled both of them with another press of a button (causing Zelda to jolt again) and then turned to face her. Lifting up the visor on his helmet so he could make eye contact, he told her, "Alright, Samus, something is definitely different with you. Three guesses; you found a new religion, you're in love or to go really out there, you switched bodies with someone else and she's now sitting in front of me as we speak."

Zelda thought it over for a second; did she really want to involve Captain Falcon in this? After thinking it through she figured she didn't have much of a choice and probably a few things to gain. "Mm, the last two, as it would turn out."

"Oh wow," Falcon replied, easily sounding surprised.

"It's pretty crazy," Zelda assured him.

"Two out of three. Didn't expect that," he continued as if he didn't hear her. "But anyway! Crazier things have happened, sport. Tell me who you are, not-Samus?"

"Princess Zelda," she told him, feeling the need to add "of Hyrule."

"Ah, I see!" he replied. "No matter! I will gladly get you home; however, I do need to stop in Cadence. Do you think you can hang out there for awhile?"

She nodded. "I sort of wanted to explore the place. It seems interesting to me." After all, it was the nearest town to where Samus lived when she wasn't at the tournament. She had to think _something_ of it.

"Curiosity!" Falcon stated cheerfully. "I like that in a person. Anyway, is there anyone you need to call or is this kind of routine for you?"

"Goddesses, no!" Zelda insisted with a breathy laugh. "I mean, it's not a regular activity for me, but... I do know what to do."

He nodded. "So I'm guessing that means you want the phone?"

"Uhm, yes, I would," Zelda confirmed.

"Alright, then," Falcon replied, reaching into a compartment in the center console and pulling out a cell phone. "Okay, kid, go nuts."

"Thanks," she responded with a grin. The touch screen phone was just a tad tricky to navigate, but she figured it out (although the unoccupied tapping of Falcon's fingers on the steering wheel wasn't much help) and began to dial a number in. She let the steady dial tones mixed with the rhythmic drumming of Falcon's figures lull her to relax just a bit until the other voice picked up.

"Hello there," the voice responded, thankfully not his message tone. "Who is this?"

"Oh! Link! Thank the goddesses!" Zelda responded, lively. "It's Zelda. I mean, Zelda inside Samus."

Falcon couldn't stop himself from snickering, but Zelda silenced him with a soft kick to the shin. He gave an apologetic smile before smirking again. She rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored him, since Link was speaking again.

"Thank the goddesses indeed. Where exactly are you?"

She felt a comfort that soothed her nerves when she was speaking to her best friend. A touch of normalcy was always useful in a time like this. "I'm with Captain Falcon, just outside of a forest near where... I woke up."

"Samus' ship," he filled in the blanks for her. "So, did Falcon pick you up?"

"Just from outside the forests, on a nearby arterial. Quite the gentleman, honestly." She noticed Falcon again, giving a grin and a thumbs up. This time she elbowed him, but really she found the gesture sweet.

Link laughed, short and boisterous, just as his laugh usually was. "Anyway, it's good to hear you're safe," he told her. "Where are you heading?"

"We're stopping in Cadence," Zelda told him. "I'm not sure how long we'll be there. How is Samus? Is she taking everything well?"

"Could be better," Link told her honestly. "She takes good care of you, though."

Zelda didn't respond, only blushed.

Link noticed and said "I think we'll all be fine, though. I can snag the potion out of your space and bring it and Samus up to you. Would that sound good?"

"Quite."

"Then it's settled," Link confirmed. "Anything else you'd like?"

Zelda thought it over. She knew what she wanted, but wasn't sure if it would be wise to ask. Eventually, though, she did. "Can I speak to Samus?"

"Afraid not, Zel," he responded almost immediately. "She's taking a moment to think things through, I think. She's with Peach at the moment."

Zelda frowned, but conceded. Peach seemed like the type to take good care of a friend, and she knew she was close with Samus. _Also romantically occupied with Mario, _a small part of her brain confirmed. Her heart skipped a thud but she came to her senses. "Well, all right. Meet me down here when you can. And if you need anything, I'm sure Falcon wouldn't mind if you called him."

Falcon gave another thumbs up to the phone. Zelda smirked and said "Falcon's thumb approves."

Link laughed another one of his familiar laughs. "Well, if the thumb approves, then I can't quite argue. I'll see you later, Zelda. Love you!"

She still smiled every time he said that, even in confidence that it wasn't romantic. "Love you too," she replied. And she did. She wouldn't know what she would do without a friend as loyal, listening and loving as Link.

The other end of the line appropriately shut off. She let the moment of affection pass before handing Falcon the phone again with a soft "Thanks."

He just gave her another thumbs up. This time, she giggled.

"Alright, well off to Cadence!" he announced. "I advise you, Zelda Aran crossover, to be prepared for some swift speeds. I'll try to keep this bad girl down, but she has a way of taking over control when she wants to." She responded by elbowing him again. He gave her a knowing grin before reinstating the seatbelts and softly pressing on the gas pedal. Even then, the car shot forward violently, reaching high speeds.

Zelda tried to relax herself, focus on the thrill, enjoy the ride if at all possible. Anything at all would work to assuage her nerves heading into the impending confession to Samus. She had served to distract herself well, even have a little bit of fun, but she knew what the day was going to bring her, if not where the night would leave her.

She was going to do it, though. If there was one thing Zelda hated, it was cowards who feared rejection.

**A/N Okay, so we have three chapters left. Again. This time I promise it. I have intent for each chapter, so worry not. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~MoD**

**P.S. I think the word count is approximately 10,000. No worries, the next three won't be quite so long. Chapter four will be pretty short. Five may have some beef but six will be an epilogue of sorts, so yeah.**


	4. The Cadence of Home and Love

**A/N Yay for being able to work on this more than usual. :)**

**Also, the first chapter was massively edited in part due to the advice of a certain...tfvlci. I never get the letter order right; I just address her by her name. :P You may want to reread.**

**Chapter 4  
The Cadence of Home and Love**

**~Peach's Perspective (With Samus)~**

Peach didn't bother to look up much when she saw Zelda walk into her room without knocking. She remained engrossed in her book, a habit that always brightened her up when she was feeling down. She always reserved the happiest, sappiest, most romantic books for those blue days; they always did the trick even if they were as gooey as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She probably wouldn't have the stomach for them any other day; even she could only handle so much sweetness at a time.

Zelda cleared her throat.

Peach reluctantly sat up and folded the book over her knee. "Hello," she smiled welcomingly.

Zelda's gaze averted to the book on Peach's knee. "_The Prince's Concubine_?" she smirked knowingly.

Peach blushed. "Yeah, I know, these books are like so awful, but so sweet. They're like candy; they'll rot my brains but they're so damn tasty!"

"Still in a post-breakup mood?" Zelda inquired.

Peach began to ramble nervously. "Yeah, no, not really, like, I'm over it. Like don't worry because it's been a few weeks and the emotion is out of my system and I'm not even really mad at Mario, 'cause it's just the way it is and we drifted apart all that wise stuff but I'm still you know kinda sad and maybe a little heartachy and I am pretty sure I never told you about any of this, Miss Hyrule." At the end of her ramble, she looked up at Zelda, expecting an explanation.

"Oh, shit!" Zelda snapped her fingers.

Peach snickered in response. "I can't wait to hear what this is, hon."

"I'm Samus," Zelda/apparently Samus blurted out. Peach stood up abruptly, surprised, and dropped the book spine-up on the floor.

"Oh my dear Lord," she giggled, causing the figure in front of her to growl. "Samus, you're... Zelda? How does that exactly work?"

"Hell if I know," Samus sighed, looking at Zelda's slippered feet.

Peach snickered as if she was hiding a secret. Samus growled again. "You better not be involved in this, I swear to God I will dissect you and see if you're made up of bubblegum after all."

"Peach-flavored, of course," Peach could only reply, not bothering to take her threat seriously. That was just how Samus was. "But yep, you're definitely Samus. Don't worry, I wouldn't lie to you about anything. You know that. Even if I wanted to lie to you for your own good I couldn't do it because I have too much love and respect for you." She ended her statement with a genuine smile that read _you-can-trust-me._

Samus smirked. "That and because you're a horrible liar."

Peach giggled again and reached out to hug Samus, who returned it with a small amount of hesitation. When Peach released her, she gestured to her bed. "Come on, take a seat!" To punctuate this, she leapt onto her bed, enjoying the reverberation as she bounced. She patted the seat next to her and smiled. Samus cautiously returned it and took her seat.

"So, hon!" Peach started the conversation. "How can I help you out? I'm not that good with the tada and the magical stuff but you got your bestie here and she's willing to do anything for you. Got that?"

Samus smiled, holding her hand gently. Peach felt a little flutter in her chest because she knew it was very hard for a girl like Samus to trust herself to anyone, and Peach was one of those lucky few. Samus certainly could use that spark of happiness in her life, and Peach was more than happy to train her in the ways of the satisfied.

That particular trainee spoke up. "So, erm, Link's going to handle all the effects of the magical business. We're going to find Zelda... in my body, of course... and drink one of her potions and then we'll switch back, hopefully."

"Alrighty, sounds like the master plan," Peach nodded vigorously, her emotions expressed to amplified levels as usual. "You're going to have to make room for me because I'm going with the both of you. God knows Link can't drive," she added with a giggle.

Samus smiled. "That's good. I'm glad to hear it."

"Excellent!" After that, Peach hesitated for a moment, stuck in thought, something she let Samus know by slumping over, chin in her left hand and her right batting at a piece of hair. Samus knew what she meant.

"Okay!" Peach shouted. "What else did you want to tell me?"

"I didn't say anything else," Samus pointed out.

"And yet there's something else you want to say. It's practically radiating from you-slash-Zelda. You have a real habit of radiating your feelings, you know that?"

Samus smirked. "Oh, is that so?"

"Damn straight it is. I bet you drive poor Lucario insane."

"I have feelings for someone," Samus announced abruptly. Peach didn't mind; Samus wasn't very well trained in conversation etiquette. That's just not how she was. She wasn't a princess who had people to speak for and meetings to attend and appearances to keep (and of course adversaries to kidnap her; another story for another time.) Samus was a loner, and it showed, and it was okay. Friends help friends adjust to having friends and, as it would apparently turn out, lovers.

Peach smiled again. "Aw, is that what you're worried about, darlin'? Isn't that a good thing?"

Even then, she could feel the bed shake as Samus clenched her fists, shaking. "I don't know, Peach, okay? This has never happened for me before, and it's, it's a really big change for me."

"You've never loved someone?" The idea surprised Peach.

"No, not like... I mean, this isn't the same. You know that. I mean, I loved my parents for the short time I... I had them. I didn't... have something like this for Malkovich or anyone that I worked with, but I respected them. I respected him. And I love you, Peach, because you're my friend, and you've done for me what no one else ever has." Peach beamed upon hearing those words.

"But... this... this is different. Because I really want this person, too. I mean, she's beautiful and she's creative and she's confident and she's powerful and she, she just has this incredible being that I've never seen before, and I really wish I could, I could mean something to her. And..." she blushed as she went on. Peach noticed and squeezed her hand. "I admit, I wouldn't mind being... affectionate with her, because she really... okay, she is attractive; that's what I'll say about that. But..." she took one last deep breath. "that's kind of just what it is, I guess. That's it."

Peach looked at Samus and just smiled for a few moments. Suddenly, she felt a sob shake through her, just one, just a tiny one, and a few tears hit her eyes. Samus looked at her, surprised, until Peach reached around Zelda's neck and hugged her. "Oh my God, Sam," she whispered. "I'm so happy for you. I think you're really in love, and that's really incredible."

Samus lay against her awkwardly. "Huh," she replied hesitantly. "Is that so?"

Not quite attentive to her tone, Peach continued comfortingly."I really, really do. I mean, you really have just moved me right now. I've never ever had an experience like that, just to be hit with love for someone you don't know that well."

Samus chuckled, reluctantly returning the hug. "If you say so."

Peach let her go. "You don't seem quite convinced."

Samus shrugged. "It's not that easy for me, Peach," she countered. "I'm twenty-eight and this has never happened. Frankly I'm not as thrilled as you think I should be."

"Why not?" Peach asked, not at all understanding why someone wouldn't be happy to be in love. "It seems grand to me."

"You like love," Samus replied, kicking her feet against the bed frame. "It's something you enjoy. Hell, you'll even poison your mind just to get another dose. It's like your drug."

Peach didn't reply. Truthfully, she was a little hurt, even if Samus was kind of right.

"What I need, Peach, is to feel as though I'm okay and I'm together. Ever since I've met Zelda-"

"I knew it," Peach interrupted. Samus looked at her, annoyed yet amused.

"Just saying," She finished. Samus closed her eyes and continued.

"Ever since I met Zelda, she's thrown me off. And that's the part I don't like. That's why I try and separate myself from people, because if I end up close to them they make me weak. It happened with Malkovich; I tried to impress him and it really screwed me up. I've learned from that and I don't want to do that again."

Samus took a breath and reached for Peach's arm.

"It's not that simple, though, is it?" Peach deduced. "Otherwise you wouldn't feel this strongly about her."

Samus swallowed. Peach squeezed her hand. "Sometimes, it's as simple as it gets. I want to just walk up to her and, you know, go for it. Tell her. Other times, I fear that she'll say no, or even that she'll say yes. I mean, I'd love for her to say yes, but then what does that mean for me? I want to make her happy, I really do, but I fear that I will lose myself, because I can't do that. I'm so used to things being the way they are that I can't fathom to shake that up."

Peach's response was quick. "Samus, are you happy with the way things are?"

Samus didn't respond for at least a minute, clearly not expecting that question. Peach waited patiently before asking "maybe you could use a bit of shaking things up?"

"I..." she didn't respond any further.

"Samus, I can't really talk much farther into that because this is your life. I'm not in control of that. I'm your best friend, and that's as far as I go. What you need to remember is that if you're not happy, your life is pretty much a moot point. Even if you live it for others, you can't let yourself die out or you bring everything with you. I want you to do something that would bring you happiness, okay? Think you can do that?"

Samus thought it over for another minute. Her response was "Can you tell me what it's like to be..." a few seconds passed and Peach knew she was picking her words carefully. "...romantically involved?"

Peach grinned. This was her element for sure, Samus was right about that. "Of course I can, Samus. I'd be damned if I let you go it alone. Okay, so try and remember all this."

"Oh man," Samus gave a lopsided grin as she knew she was in for a long haul."

"Alright. The number one rule is honesty. When you confess, you let go of fear for just a moment but not of logic. You prepare yourself for rejection but rejoice for acceptance. You mean everything you say, good or bad. A painful truth is more than a pleasurable lie. You keep in mind, though, that words hurt far more than sticks and stones.

The first few weeks are heaven- fresh, new, just a bit scary but incredible. They make you feel like everything is going to be perfect, but nothing is. Once you become comfortable with each other, you're going to screw up but you're going to mean more to each other than before. You have to accept that you're human and you'll screw up, but make up for that by loving her like no one else."

She giggled as she saw Samus blush just a bit when hearing the feminine pronoun.

"You find out what she likes and capitalize the hell off of it. Of course, you give her the same courtesy and let her give to you as well. You're free to be intimate without fear; you got this far after all. It doesn't even have to be sex, you just hold her and kiss her and comfort her without having to feel awkward about it; she wouldn't have fallen for you if she didn't want that. You grow constantly and you won't be quite the same as before you knew her. It might become so incredible you'll be glad you took the chance.

"Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, you have to acknowledge that there may be an end to the relationship but if she's worth it you work to make sure it never happens. If it seems inevitable, though, don't delay it. Better to end it sooner than suffer through hardship. That's what Mario and I did, and honestly it was like ripping off a band-aid. I mean, I still miss him but we're okay with each other; we didn't let things rot away until we couldn't stand each other. Thank God, because I'm pretty much intertwined with him." She laughed self consciously, blushing.

She continued. "Of course, that leads to the most important thing of advice; every couple is different. You won't be like Mario and I were, if everything works out, which I strongly believe it will. You'll be like Samus and Zelda, and these are just touchstones for you so you know the basics. From there, paint your own picture and tell your own tale together, and write it so that you both are happy."

She smiled. "And, of course, be sure to see your best friend Peach if you ever need someone to talk to."

Peach took a deep breath and then bowed over as if she were expecting applause. Samus wasn't the type of person to applaud, though, and just said "That's... a lot."

"It is, isn't it?" Peach admitted. "The strange thing about romance is that there is never anything as simple or as complicated as it. It's the most volatile element there is, but the world wouldn't exist without it."

Samus shrugged. "You have a point there."

"I have a habit of that. Are you okay, Samus?"

"I think I'll be fine." That familiar touch of bristle returned, but Samus was still comfortable enough to grab Peach's arm and nearly whisper "thanks."

"Anytime," Peach responded. "Anyway, we should probably get going. I bet Link's waiting for us. Where is he, anyway?"

"I left him on the patio," was Samus' succinct explanation.

"Uhh!" Peach tutted in playful disapproval as she led the huntress out of her room. "Now that's not very nice, is it? Play nice, Samus. You go find him and apologize and I'll get my stuff together and join the two of you. Love you!" With that, she gave a playful shove and her best friend was out of the room, not resisting as Peach closed the door on her.

Feeling just a little hyped up, Peach let out an invigorated giggle and began to prepare. She changed out of her dress and into a nice flannel v-neck shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, because the good Lord knows woman could not live by dresses alone. She put on a pair of ivory heels, because the good Lord also knew that woman needed at least a touch of fancy somewhere. She put her hair up in a ponytail, grabbed her purse and began to look for her book on the floor, in case of a long ride.

She found it, just below the bed frame. She went to reach for it, but then suddenly felt unfulfilled by it. It was so... fake. And she, Princess Peach of the Toadstool lineage, ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, was witness to the beautiful unfolding of a true, real, star-crossed romance.

Bah. Who needed a book like that anyways? She shoved it under her bed, planning to completely forget of its existence until another moment of weakness. Besides, she couldn't get distracted now. She had a friend to help.

**~Zelda's Perspective~**

Unsurprisingly, given the driver, Zelda and Falcon reached the outskirts of Cadence in exactly eleven minutes and twelve seconds. They reached the center of the town in eleven minutes thirty-three seconds. Falcon pressed the brake and had them parked on a street on the main street of the town in exactly eleven minutes, thirty-eight seconds.

Zelda had to keep herself from throwing up as she staggered out of the car, nearly mashing her feet into the sidewalk, allowing them to kiss the land. She was about to bend down and kiss it herself. Falcon noticed and laughed. "Oh dear me, ma'am. Sorry I've taken such a toll on you. You can take a racer out of the car, and you can take the car from the racer. But if you get the two together, then I can't be entirely responsible for what happens."

Zelda would have responded with an annoyed retort if she weren't trying to keep from vomiting.

"Anyway! I have to run by the hardware store, so I'll leave you to your own devices," Falcon began to walk away, nodding when Zelda looked up to wave him off. Suddenly, he stopped. "Oh! If you need anything to eat there's a lovely diner just up Dahlia Court right there." He gestured in the direction, and Zelda could see a small building just a short ways south. "The woman in there is just lovely. Why don't you drum up some business for her?" He dashed back, placing a handful of paper bills in her hand.

"Falcon, you don't-" Zelda began.

"Nope! Noooope! Don't even!" Falcon insisted. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Tell her Falcon recommended you! She'll love you!" Before Zelda could argue any further, Falcon was running off down the road, giving a last quick wave as he worked his way to the hardware store. Zelda shook her head, not at all surprised that Falcon was the type to run everywhere he went.

She steadied herself and began to walk down the sidewalk, shaking off the carsickness. Cadence was a small, quaint little hamlet. Very clean, surprisingly modern, but for being a unusually small town for one so close to the largest metropolis in the universe, she couldn't be so surprised. What did surprise her, however, was that despite all her diplomatic journeys to Junction City even before the tournament started, she had never even so much as heard of Cadence.

Perhaps Samus liked that about the town. It was hidden in plain sight, just as she was. Out of all the people in the tournament, she was the one seen the least in person. She got a lot of attention, of course, but almost entirely behind the orange suit of armor that seemed to define her as a warrior. Zelda wouldn't be surprised if she could walk down the streets of this town without being recognized as Samus Aran, fabled bounty huntress.

Zelda liked Cadence, she decided. It just seemed peaceful and welcoming. The downtown area lay just in front of her, consisting of a few single-story businesses clumped together at an intersection that had a stop sign on each side. Before that area, there were buildings scattered around alongside the road surrounded by endless fields of grass that one could walk through for days as they turned into the dense forests that Zelda knew Samus hid inside her ship, away from the rest of the world.

Just to her right, she noticed that she was passing the diner on Dahlia Court, appropriately named "Dahlia's Diner!" Seeing the red exclamation point painted on the end of the sign made Zelda smile and deduce that this place couldn't possibly be bad. Cautiously, she crossed the arterial separating her from the restaurant and walked towards it. The place looked cheerful; a place twice as long as it was tall, painted bright blue with green stripes separated only by wide windows that easily let in the sunshine. Zelda found herself surprisingly excited to enter this place, bounding across the parking lot and into the front door.

As soon as she entered, a welcoming jingle sounded off and she could see a young woman bound out of the kitchen and into sight, waving. She had dark skin and long dark hair pulled into a hairnet. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a brown t-shirt obscured by a white apron. Zelda noticed her and waved back.

"Hello there, ma'am!" the woman welcomed her warmly.

"Hello yourself," Zelda replied before looking over at the place. For the most part, it was surprisingly empty, especially for a lunch hour. She noticed a few diners in there dotting the booths and tables around the sides, but she was the only one in the front. She was probably indistinguishable from the other diners, which was fine for her. She was honestly a bit fed up of people falling over themselves to serve her only because she was the leader of one of the most influential kingdoms in the universe. Maybe a bit of being hidden in plain sight was a good thing.

Zelda found herself taking a seat on a wooden stool just before the diner's countertop. As soon as she sat, she noticed a menu sliding towards her. It was a single sheet, a long blue piece of paper with its offerings in tidy handwriting on both sides. She grinned wider as she browsed around for something that looked appetizing.

She watched the lady from before walk up to her. Zelda looked up as she spoke. "I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Are you new to town?"

Zelda's reply caught in her throat. Now, she was truly acting on behalf of Samus. Anything she said would impact Samus from here on out, not Zelda. She had to be careful.

She settled with, "Somewhat. I'm just finding my place around here."

Her conversant nodded understandingly. "I gotcha. I'm Dahlia. I own this nice little place here. Thanks for dropping by!"

"I had a feeling," Zelda admitted. She took another look around the diner. "I imagine it must be nice having a corner of the world to yourself."

"It really is, you know," Dahlia mused. "Of course, I like to share it with others as well. Out of curiosity, do you have a name?"

Zelda hesitated again, making sure not to use her own name. "Uhm, I'm Samus Aran," she told her rather quietly.

A flash of recognition shot through Dahlia's brown eyes. "Ah, yes! I've heard of you every now and again. Nice to meet you." With that, she placed her arm on the table in front of Zelda, extending her hand towards her. Zelda noticed and shook it. Dahlia had a firm handshake and a respectful smile. When she let Zelda go, she said, "Anyway, don't let me keep you. Go ahead and pick out something to eat, and I promise you it'll taste delicious."

Zelda peered down her menu. "Well, honestly, I'm not entirely sure what to have. Sort of jittery, to be honest." She looked up at Dahlia, who was dusting off her apron and preparing to walk into the adjacent kitchen, which was barely separated from the dining room by a median wall. "A Douglas Falcon sent me in here. Perhaps he would know better than I?"

Dahlia whirled around and faced Zelda again. "Oh my. Douglas Jay Falcon," she repeated his name distantly, warmly. "What a guy, I'll say. A real sweetheart. I'm glad he sent you over here. Any friend of his is a friend of mine."

Zelda laughed. "I imagine you must like him a fair deal."

"You'd imagine correctly," Dahlia replied, her voice almost dreamy. "Anyway, come to think of it, I set him up with my surprise special for first-timers. That's been just about the only thing he's ever eaten since. Would you like to try it out?"

Zelda mused it over. She felt like taking a chance. "Sure I would."

"Great!" Dahlia responded. "I'll be right back unless you have anything for me to note."

Zelda shook her head. "Good luck!"

"Darling, I make my own luck, but thanks anyways!" was the reply as the young proprietor ran into the kitchen eagerly. Zelda closed her eyes and relaxed, trying to let all her thoughts drift away and leave her in a scene of calm. Meditation came easy to her if she focused just right, and it always left her prepared and relaxed. Sure enough, she led herself into such peace of mind that she was only jarred out of it when, some time later, Dahlia set the plate down in front of her and declared, "Miss Aran, your lunch is served."

Zelda snapped awake and looked down at her plate. She saw a chicken sandwich that she could easily tell to be homemade, from the bun to the garden-grown lettuce to the chicken slices. Next to it was a batch of fries and a thimble of sauce, also homemade. Next to everything was a cup of iced tea.

Zelda was honestly impressed. With a quick thank-you, she began to eat. The food was just as great as it looked. Dahlia giggled just a bit when she saw just how much Zelda enjoyed it. "Well, I'm very glad you approve!" she stated.

A few minutes transpired before Zelda finished, pushing the plate away in satisfaction and dabbing the sides of Samus' mouth with a napkin. "This… was delicious," Zelda told her with a content sigh.

"It gets them every time," Dahlia winked.

"I'd imagine!" Zelda laughed. "I mean, I always thought of Falcon as a meat and potatoes sort of guy, so if he's a fan..."

"You never know with people these days." That familiar wistfulness returned to her voice.

"Certainly not," Zelda agreed. "But this was certainly worth every penny it pays. How much do I owe you?"

Dahlia shook her head. "Oh goodness, no. The first time's always free."

"Oh my! Well, thank you!"

"No problem!" With a devious smile, she leaned in close to Zelda and whispered, "that's what brings them back, hon." With a light "shhh!" she backed away.

Zelda laughed again before thinking something over. She was surprised Samus had never been to this place. Zelda had never known of it an hour before, and now she loved it. Dahlia was not only a good chef but a kind person and a shrewd businesswoman. She would definitely be back.

With that in mind, she figured that Samus should be as well.

"Do you, perchance, have any gift cards?" she asked.

Dahlia laughed abruptly. "It really does work every time. Of course I do."

"That's great, because there is someone I need to bring here," Zelda told her.

Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How sweet of you. I always love it when someone gives me a home-cooked meal."

"Agreed," Zelda nodded. "I believe my companion will be as well."

Dahlia smiled. "All right, well, I'll get that for you. You sit tight."

Zelda smiled. "Thank you!"

"Nope," Dahlia called as she dashed to the cash register. "Thank you!"

Zelda laughed, happy to find a place where she felt like home. It wasn't often one found a place like that, and Zelda was surprised it was right in front of both her and Samus this whole time.

Soon enough, Zelda had exited the diner, having exchanged her farewells with Dahlia and obtained her gift card. She would be sure to thank Falcon for it later, if she could find-

"Hey, princess!" she could hear his voice from here, which surprised her to a point. He was waving from across the street at her. "Over here!"

Zelda waved back, waiting until traffic was clear before crossing the road. When she reached the other side, she looked up at Falcon and said, "Thanks for the lunch."

He laughed heartily. "Ah! Not a problem! I knew you'd love it. That Dahlia," he scratched the back of his neck. "she is quite a woman, isn't she?"

"Indeed," Zelda replied slyly, feeling a warmth in her chest seeing the barely contained affections between the famous race car driver and the woman behind the diner. "I hear she enjoys a home-cooked meal as well. I imagine that was the premise behind her diner."

"Interesting," Falcon seemed to be talking to himself out loud. "Home cooked meals. Have to remember that." Turning back to Zelda, he addressed her again. "But anyway! I just got a call from Link again. Peach is driving Samus and him over to Cadence. They should be here any minute."

"Oh!" Zelda gasped. She wasn't expecting them here that early. "I… okay! Excellent!"

Falcon noticed her become jittery. "Uh-huh. So, why don't we wait here for them? They should be able to find us easily."

Zelda looked at the Blue Falcon. "I'd imagine."

Falcon laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. Zelda relaxed just a smidge. She tried to close her eyes and grasp for peace of mind, standing on the streets of Cadence and awaiting the moments that lay ahead.

**A/N Whew. I'm getting really nervous. There's a lot riding on this; not only because of the contest but just because this is still kind of uncharted territory for me. I'm not just taking risks with this pairing, though, but with my narrative styles, my views on romance, friendship and the people around you. All of them echo my own beliefs. Also, I may be a touch effeminate but I'm certainly not a female, so speaking so intimately from the point of view of three of them is pretty challenging for me.**

**I'll try and pare this down to one more chapter. I reckon I have around 5,500 words left. I have a habit for dragging things along, as you may have been able to tell.**

**At the end you can expect a short commentary from me. It'll be an extra chapter exempt from the contest which will be just me talking about the process. If you prefer ambiguity then you can avoid it. BUT! That's a ways away!**

**Wish me luck and let me know if you like it. :P**

**~MoD**


	5. All Right

**A/N Well, here's chapter five. On we go, I suppose. **

**Chapter 5  
All Right**

**~Samus's Perspective~**

Samus felt like the odd one out when the five people involved met up in Cadence across from Dahlia's Diner. The primary reason was because she was still dressed in Zelda's nightgown and slippers, looking very out of place. Second, it seemed like everyone else was more composed than she was. Having woken just a couple of hours ago, everything passed in a blur for her. As soon as she was done with Peach, Link appeared with the vial that held the supposed cure, placing it in a knapsack in order to be perfectly aware of its presence. _Take no risks, _he said. Samus vocally agreed with him.

He told the both of them that Falcon had found Zelda alongside the highway dealing with some creep, a creep whom Samus considered keeping an eye out for so she could beat him senseless. After all, even if Zelda received the threat, it was Samus' body he was going ape over. She hated it when people did that. Eventually, she decided against it. Falcon often served as a ride to the stadium every now and again and Samus would go so far as to consider a friend. She was certainly grateful that the racer stuck up for both of them.

Before Samus knew it, she was in Peach's convertible and on her way to Cadence, a small town she passed through. It was likable and enticing enough, just not quite on Samus's radar. At least being here might inspire her to come back for more.

She just kept looking around awkwardly as the other there exchanged tales and talked about what brought them there. She made eye contact with Zelda and immediately blushed, even though she was really looking at her own body (incredibly freaky, for the record). Damn it, she was making a fool out of herself. Just look up and act present.

Still, she stood quietly, awkwardly among the other adults. There was so much on her mind that it nearly hurt her. She stole another glance at Zelda in her body, who gave a small smile. Feeling lightheaded and funny, she waved. Zelda's smile widened, and as Samus saw the happiness on her own face, she felt as though she could use more of that. Peach was right about that much, she supposed.

She had to wonder how deeply she was blushing.

Samus had barely any recognition of their escorts' conversation, and was jarred into attention when Falcon spoke up. "So!" he boomed. "We have everything worked out for you. I'll take Samus-in-Zelda with me since she won't throw up when I drive or anything."

Samus stole a look at Zelda, who just blushed. "I held it," she insisted. Samus gave a humored snort, hoping that would read as unbothered.

"Peach over here will use her ungodly slow car and take Zelda-in-Samus and Link home. Then, you'll do your magical stuff, take a nice long nap, I'll catch the soccer match on TV just in time and we'll all be happy. Okay?" He gave his thumbs up.

"Sounds nice," Samus replied, feeling abuzz in something that wasn't anxiety.

"Can I…" Zelda spoke up, causing Samus to double-take when she heard her own voice speak words not her own. "I'd like to talk to Samus… for a little bit before we go."

Samus smiled despite herself. "It can't wait?" Her voice was humored, not impatient.

Zelda twirled a piece of Samus's hair thoughtfully. "I'd like not to."

Link smiled. "We can wait. We have all day ahead of us."

"I'm more nocturnal anyways," Samus replied.

Falcon nodded. "You gals go and have your… gal talk. I'll be in the diner if you need me."

For some reason, Zelda giggled, and in Samus's voice the sound was foreign. "You do that. I promise we won't be long."

"I… guess we won't," Samus agreed awkwardly. Peach gave a wide grin in her direction and waved. Zelda began to walk off, beckoning Samus with her. She followed, not looking back as she distanced herself from the others.

It took her a minute to think to ask anything; she just felt so lost. Being within a five foot space of Zelda's aura seemed to do that to her. It reminded her of the quiet moments where they were near each other and the ones where they traded a few cordial conversations and then went their separate ways. This was different, though. This time, Zelda went out of her way to be with her. Could it really be that simple?

The unspoken air between them seemed to speak volumes to her already, as did the shy smile on her face as she looked back at her. Nevertheless, the question still was necessary.

"Where are we heading?"

Zelda looked around at the grass field they were knee-deep in. "Nowhere, I guess… I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

Zelda was silent, looking down on the ground. She looked embarrassed, nervous and even ashamed. Then she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Samus finally figured it out; true, she already had a feeling, but now she was certain. She could feel a squeezing feel of panic and humiliation cut through her chest, making her heart hammer.

"No, you didn't. Oh, no."

Zelda sighed; shoulders slumped and eyes gazing at the ground. "I'm sorry, Samus. I knew I was wrong; really, I did."

Samus couldn't respond past placing her hand on her forehead and drawing in sharp breaths. "Nonono," she repeated. Goddamn it, the woman Peach claimed Samus was in love with had uncovered her personal scars. It just hurt to think about. She thought that Zelda was above that! She thought she was smart enough not to... "Damn it, Zelda. Why would you even… I locked it! I specifically locked it! I mean, I thought that would have served a hint!"

"I know; I know!" Zelda repeated, as if it made a difference. Samus turned away from her. "I really… I meant the best, I-"

"What do you mean, you meant the best?" Samus replied angrily. "I didn't want anyone to know about that! Do you have any idea how horrible that makes me feel? How repulsive and pitiful and weak I feel right now?"

"Stop it, Samus!" Samus leapt back when she heard the tone in which Zelda responded, no longer apologetic but hurt and defensive. "You're not weak, and you're not repulsive."

Samus couldn't respond, still hurt but now curious.

"I mean… I don't think you are. I really don't… because… you're really a great person; I think you are."

"How can you say that?" Samus demanded, her voice cracking. "You don't know me at all. Well, I guess you know a lot more than I thought you did, but…" she drifted off.

"I know enough, Samus," Zelda insisted, trying to keep her own voice steady. "I know enough that I know that… who you are just… it draws me in. I've wanted to know more about you for a long time now."

Samus gasped a bit too loudly as she realized that feeling sounded incredibly familiar. "Why… what do you see in me? What makes you think I'm any good? That you'll find something worthwhile with a person like me?"

Zelda's reply was unbridled and immediate. "Because I love you!"

Samus jolted back, very surprised. Truthfully, there had been a part of her for a long time that had always wanted to hear that. That part grew and grew and became prominent, and truly came to form the moment Samus woke up and realized just how beautiful Zelda was. Now that the truth was out, though, and it was what Samus wanted to hear… she didn't know what to do.

Zelda noticed, her expression horrified. She covered her mouth with clasped hands, her eyes screaming terror. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and Samus knew it was for an entirely different reason.

Samus's answer was the same. "Why?"

"It's just… I can't trace it, Samus," Zelda grasped for words, her voice barely more than a whisper and eyes brimming with tears. "But I would do anything for you. I mean… I'm worried that you don't know that you're worth… that you're really beautiful."

Samus clenched her fist, feeling a different seizing up in her chest. "You… mean that?"

Zelda nodded, and she seemed confident again. "I… know I shouldn't have done… what I did."

Samus felt more at ease than before, but still nodded an agreement.

Zelda averted her gaze toward the ground, still guilty. "But… I read your poetry… and you're wrong, you know? You deserve a lot more than you give yourself. Just because… you hunt and you have to do things like that… it doesn't make you a bad person. In fact, the universe is a lot safer of a place because you do that."

Samus's eyes closed, and she was shaking. What Zelda was saying couldn't possibly be true. Samus was a murderer, and she had done it so much it chilled her blood. Why was Zelda so convinced they were true? What made her believe in Samus so easily?

She opened her eyes, nearly buckling under the strength it took. Zelda had cleared the distance between them, standing within reach. Her smile was shaky, but it was there.

Samus spoke. "You… mean that… don't you?"

"I promise that," Zelda nodded.

Samus offered a smile, but her mind was racing. She had Zelda. Zelda wanted her. Zelda loved her.

Samus was so inexplicably terrified.

"I… I…" Words weren't coming naturally to Samus. "I need to think, Zelda. I… need a bit of time. I'm sorry."

Zelda tried to keep her countenance from dropping. "I understand," she whispered, looking down again. Samus felt guilty just seeing her so let down, so defeated, but the fear of making a rash decision was stronger.

If that was all she was fearful of.

"We should head back," Zelda choked out.

Samus nodded, turning around, not daring to look back at Zelda as she started to stride towards the arterial. She could hear the footsteps behind her as they went, and she shuddered again. Was she losing her before she had her? What was she thinking? She still wasn't sure of anything.

But she still didn't say anything.

**~Link's Perspective~**

Link could tell by the look on both of their faces as they returned that things hadn't gone over very well. He sighed in disappointment. Peach noticed and echoed his sigh.

"Bummer," she whispered. Link could tell she was trying not to cry. Automatically, he reached over and squeezed her hand and offered a small, hopeful smile. She squeezed back.

Even Falcon, who had returned out of the diner in understandably good spirits, seemed a bit downcast by the turnout. He just looked down the road into Cadence and _hmmed _sadly. Clearly no one was going to admit defeat.

Samus reached the group first, her eyes darting around anxiously as Zelda followed. Link could tell neither one really wanted to be here. "If it's all the same," Samus mumbled, but drifted off.

Falcon pushed himself off the hood and clapped her shoulder. "I gotcha," he told her. "I'll take you home with me, if you'll pardon the expression." He smiled. She gave a dry chuckle, shaking nervously.

"Thanks for everything," she looked up at Peach and Link, not Zelda.

He nodded, not sure what to think and just looked down at the small pack hanging from his shoulder. "I'll meet you when we get home."

Samus nodded, disappearing into the Blue Falcon as soon as the doors opened. Falcon gave a half-hearted wave and left into the passenger side. In less than a second, they were blasting through the streets out of sight. Link watched Peach's hair sweep into her face manically from the blast.

Zelda looked around at both Link and Peach, who gave her comforting smiles. It seemed to crack her, and she grabbed Link's hand. He squeezed her comfortingly.

"I…" As soon as she spoke, she began to cry. Link was at once surprised and heartbroken to see it, because despite what one might think, Zelda rarely cried, even around him. "I messed it up…" she mumbled. "I… really messed everything up… really badly. I… I…" She could say no more, preferring just to cry it out for a moment.

"Oh, poor baby," Peach whispered, stroking her hair. Link felt grateful that even as Samus's best friend, she wasn't taking sides. He took his own best friend into his arms and whispered into her ear, "It'll be okay," over and over until Zelda found a state of calm. Even if she was in Samus's form, there was no one that Link would be more comfortable with than Zelda. He knew she returned those good graces.

Link led her to the back of Peach's car as the noon sun rose over the sky. Already it felt like the end of a long day. Maybe _he _could use a nap. Indeed, he could see Zelda awkwardly stretching across the whole of the backseat, almost asleep. Link smiled and took the front seat. Peach got in and started the car.

The drive back was quiet, seeing as Zelda was definitely asleep and neither one wanted to risk waking her up. Link watched as they drove through the highway in Junction City, overlooking the massive skyline in the hub of the downtown area. He was glad to be here, to have knowledge of the universe beyond the small towns in Hyrule that was his entire world as a child. The boundlessness of that universe both scared and excited him. Indeed, nothing would be the same for anyone if he and Zelda were not here.

He smiled at Peach. She smiled back as she drove through.

"At least things worked out with Falcon and his own interest," she pointed out.

Link gave a short chuckle. "I'm glad for that. It's actually kind of funny to see him so taken with someone."

"I think it's adorable," Peach replied wistfully. "He's a darling, honestly. He's going to make her a home-cooked meal and everything!"

Link grinned. "Now he just has to learn how to cook."

Peach took a moment to punch Link in the arm. "Oh, stop it!" she laughed quietly.

He smiled again, letting things quiet down for a moment.

It was she who spoke again. "I think everything will be okay." Her voice was a whisper. "I know I'm a sucker for happy endings, but I do believe anything is possible."

Link nodded. "We can only hope. Either way, we did our best."

Peach nodded. "Even with such a big, random, magical obstacle in our way."

"I like to think of it as serendipity."

"I like serendipity."

"As do I."

Link smiled, hopeful that his own little twist in the plan would work out for both Zelda and Samus… or at the very least, wouldn't get him in trouble with Zelda. Hopefully she wouldn't notice that there was one extra potion missing in the form of switching spirits. She would probably have some sort of zany magical revenge to get him back with.

He supposed he wouldn't mind much if it cheered her up. He had a feeling everything would work out, though. He gave one last sideways look at Peach and smiled. She returned it.

They had done pretty well after all.

**A/N Did you know Samskeyti means bond in Icelandic? It's also a terrific Sigur Ros song.**

**A short epilogue will be added quite soon. Most likely tomorrow. It's tempting to fill out all of my remaining words but somehow I don't believe that will be the case. **

**Thanks for reading.**

**~MoD**


	6. blankspace

**A/N Here's a short sixth chapter. I'm hoping everything goes well.**

**Epilogue  
( )**

"_( )"_

_~Sigur Ros in Samskeyti_

**~Samus's Point of View~**

Clarity came easiest to Samus when she woke up from a long sleep- not often about what happened the day before, but what to do with the day ahead. It brought her a surge of confidence, and she liked confidence.

Of course, when she woke up yesterday morning, she immediately knew not everything was clear, and she buckled a considerable amount. She didn't know what to make of the discussion her and Zelda had as each other in the field near Cadence, and it had showed then. After that, it was all a blur. She remembered not talking to Falcon on the drive back. She remembered him understanding. She remembered taking half the vial as soon as they got home. After that, she presumed she slept hard, and she wondered where she woke up.

Waking up at midnight was not uncommon for Samus. She liked the night. Often she would leave her ship and walk through the forest. Sometimes she would even leave her gun at home and be someone who wasn't so closely correlated with violence and loneliness. It was nice to be a free spirit every now and again. She always enjoyed this, even before the tournament, before Junction City and before the mind-consuming sort-of relationship she had with Zelda. The night air was perhaps her favorite thing, the untraceable way it felt and the way it could clear everything from her mind and give her peace.

Samus didn't move but was able to deduce that she was in her room at the mansion. The hardwood floor was definitely the same kind that popped up through the rest of the building, and it was the last place she remembered being. Of course, she knew it was her room because it was completely and utterly empty. After all, she didn't stay here, but thankfully no one had taken this space over for her. Her eyes darted over to the barren walls that were as lonely as she was. Not an ounce of decoration or anything linked to Samus in here, just the nighttime shadow of herself and her bed.

That was fitting enough, Samus noted. After all, she was just as much of a shadow as the walls were. Sometimes she was okay with that; sometimes she knew it was wrong. Right now, the very possibility of her being a shadow seemed implausible. She was linked to at least four people who knew what happened and been a part of making everything all right.

That reminded her…

With a lazy kick, she wrestled the bedding off of her, still feeling heavily tired but unable to sleep. She could already feel the twitchiness that bugged her every time she had overslept, where she couldn't stand to be in bed for another moment. As the blankets eventually fell to the ground, she saw a sight that made her smile, just a little bit.

Pants. Hallelujah. A pair of pants on a pair of legs that were definitely hers. Everything was back to normal.

Not quite everything, though.

Samus knew she was going to have to figure out what to do with Zelda. She was hoping to rely on that waking clarity of which she could take advantage. She wanted to trust Zelda, to be able to mean something to her, but she wasn't sure where it would end up.

Samus relied on certainty to a fault.

_Accept that you're human and you'll screw up..._

Had she screwed up as well? She knew Zelda had, but she felt less animosity towards her than she had before. It had been wrong of Zelda to go through the box she had locked away, but a part of her really wanted to believe that the princess did it because she cared so much it clouded her judgment. She only had one person that truly seemed to care, and that was Peach, but even then she knew it wasn't the same. The confusion that seemed to cloud Zelda during that action seemed achingly familiar to Samus.

Did Zelda really mean everything? Did she really care that much? It seemed insane to Samus, because she still didn't feel as though she earned any of that.

… _but make up for that by loving her like no one else._

It seemed Zelda was knowledgeable about romance as well.

Samus decided that she could probably think this over on a nice nighttime jog. Weigh the pros and cons, the consequences and the potential future, and see if this was truly the time for her bravery and her care. She all but rolled out of bed and onto the floor, slumping to her knees as she gathered her bearings. She needed clothes. Clothes, clothes, clothes, where were they. Shoes… she could use those too. Samus drew the line at jogging in bare feet; not quite the logic she wanted. Already she felt somewhat normal, being in her own skin, her own life, and her own choices.

She began to prop herself up onto her feet when she saw it. A small slip of paper that was rolled around as if it was around someone's finger and had fallen off during sleep. Curious, Samus picked it up off the floor and brought it over near the window to catch some of the starlight as it poured through the window, making it just bright enough to see and read.

It was handwritten on both sides, so she looked at the one with bigger handwriting on it. In jubilant, cheerful and cursive writing, it read:

"**Come on in!**

"This coupon guarantees you to two free meals of your choice at Dahlia's Diner!

"_87 Dahlia Court, Cadence, JC!_ _10 miles out of Junction City! I look forward to seeing you!_

"_Truly yours, Dahlia."_

Samus's eyes widened as she remembered the diner across the street from the crew in Cadence. She had barely noticed it, but apparently Zelda had. She looked below at the signature that had signed off of the gift certificate. _Zelda Harnikan._

She emitted a little gasp.

She turned it around to see what it said on the back. The message ran through her mind for a minute, because she had no idea what to make of it.

All it said was:

"_( )"_

What could possibly fill in that blank that Zelda had left? Samus ran through the obvious ones, but if it was so obvious, why would Zelda write it here? And what had gone unsaid so much that she couldn't say it here?

Then it hit Samus. _Of course,_ she realized. _How could she have been so stupid?_This time it was her turn to talk.

Samus decided that she didn't need that nighttime jog after all. She had an answer she could take a chance on, just this once. Maybe a chance would be good for her. She was willing to talk and willing to listen. There were no guarantees that everything would be perfect or work out, but the idea of taking a chance was something Samus was every bit willing to do. Zelda deserved that much; she had taken a chance for her.

Maybe change wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe.

She smiled and quietly made her way out of the room.

_Paint your own picture, write your own song and tell your own tale together_.

**A/N Total Word Count, Not Counting Authors' Notes: Approximately 18,600. 1,400 under the limit. I will give it a few touch-ups and edits but I will not be adding anything further, it would seem. I'm pretty confident in this piece; I took many chances myself and ventured to change from how I usually did things.**

**I hope no one is dissatisfied with this ending; I wanted to capture the middle ground between a happy ending and a sad one; that uncomfortable space of chance within a sky of possibility. A rather beautiful place, if you ask me. I think it's just right.**

**Thanks have to be made. I have had a score of brilliant reviewers from the wonderful Reviewers' Lounge Too. They've really changed my writing life in ways that go far beyond the praise for my piece**_**Play**_**. Simply put, I'm not the same as when I started. Isn't that brilliant?**

**Of course, thanks to those from the SSB section that reviewed on their time.**

**Two reviewers stick out to me in particular as being the ones that have consistently helped shape this story into what it is now. First is**_**Tune4Toons,**___**a dear friend who is also entering this contest and looks to do well. She's been a reliable reviewer, the first to do so, whether jumping first in line through the Review Tag or on her own free will. She's given plenty of friendly advice but also tons of support and reassurance, which really made me confident that this piece could be something brilliant, which I think it is. Check out her entry,**_**Trains to Seas,**___**and give your verdict! We're in a playful rivalry for the contest, but honestly I'd love to see her beat me.**

**Second off was one I honestly didn't expect; a certain**_**tfcvli,**___**or as I call her due to not being remember what orders those letters are in, Kate. She provides feedback that really challenges me, which I goddamn needed for this story. I'm glad she found the flaws before you did and that she embarrassed me a little before everyone else could, and still be reliable for support and advice. Also a huge help was her expert grammar advice (SPAG, as she calls it), which reveals to me that I really need to check myself in that area, haha. Really, I could practically consider her a beta author for Samskeyti, because on her own she's done as much as Byoshi would for me. The craziest part is; she's not even from this section! She presides mainly in Sherlock, where you can find her incredible Post-Reichenbach take,**_**Transfigured Night.**___**You won't be disappointed in a read!**

**You can expect a chapter of commentary on my working on this that explains piece by piece my process. It's interesting to hear a writer's thoughts on their own piece, and there was so much arranging and puzzle-planning that went on in this piece that it would make an interesting story, I believe. If you like the ambiguity (which certainly helps) then you can totally avoid it and not miss anything. I just figured that I ramble about my works so much to other people that I need a place for it. :P**

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed and who read; you've been a great help! I'd ask you to wish me luck, but I make my own luck.**

**~MoD**

**P.S. I heard that line "You make your own luck" about Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight after watching it for the first time- I know, how sad. I was like "Hey, that's my line! Like, three years before I ever coined it, haha…"**

**P.S.P.S. Haha, get it,**_**coined it…**___**I'll go away now.**


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